Glad to see the board up and running - impressive work Byron and company! I shop with you guys and fish the park several times a year and really enjoy the hospitality. I'm part of that Gadsden, AL contingent and Rainbow Flyfishing Club. I will be coming up tomorrow (11/13) and staying thru Sunday. I imagine fishing will slow with the temps dropping again. I'll stop by...

Canyon65,
I am new to the board and also from Alabama so I figured I would post my info under your subject. Bamaflyguy and myself live in Huntsville. We get up to the Smokies about 5 times a year. We make some trips to the Hiwassee and the Elk every year. We also hit the small tailwater down below Smith Lake a few times a year, though it seems like fishing in a barrel full of hungry fish on most days (fun but sometimes you want more of a challenge). We are part of a small group of six or so fly fishing and bass fishing friends. Bamaflyguy, my brother (who will probably join the board at some point as Drake or some derivative) and myself are the most avid fly fishers of the group. We all started out as bass fishermen on Guntersville and Wheeler Lakes but have gotten hooked on fly fishing. Bass fishing has become too competitive and too crowded for me. I plan to start fly fishing for bass and bream in the more secluded waters in our area this year. I am an engineer here in town, but would love to figure out a way to make a living in the field of fly fishing, outdoor writing or something similar. For me, the problem with engineering is that while it pays well, I don't enjoy it and probably wouldn't be happy at any other typical desk job. I'm engaged to be married this coming fall and hope to get my fiance hooked on fly fishing . My internet name, hawgdaddy, is a word one of my friends made up as a term for a really big bass. Somehow, hawgdaddy eventually became my nickname. And it appears that I have some kind of problem that causes me to write posts that are much too long. I guess that's my mini-autobiography. Hope to get to know you all,

Well, since hawgdaddy kinda introduced me already... I will keep this short. Just wanted to say Hi, and I hope to get to know many of better in the future. I really enjoy reading the information posted by all of you. I can't wait to get back to the smokies, being that it is one of my favorite places to fish!! Until then, I guess I will have to put up with my day job! *8-)

__________________
--bamaflyguy--<br /><br />&quot;May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it. &quot;

Looks like Alabama has some strong representation here! I hope to meet up with hawgdaddy and bamaflyguy on a stream somewhere soon. You guys should come down to one of our club meetings in Gadsden sometime. We have about 120 members, and monthly meetings draw over 40 most months. The club is semi-sponsored by Rainbow City Auction and Flyfishing, a combination furniture store fly shop here in Gadsden. We meet at Gadsden State Community College the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM. Membership has it's privelages - we have a stocked trout pond on campus behind a fence - members only have keys. Good group of folks. I would love to tag along with you guys on the Elk sometime - I've only fished it once and had a blast but realize I have lots to learn.

Canyon65,
Thanks for the invite! I'd really like to get more involved with the "community" of fly fishing. My fishing on the Elk so far has been limited to wading. I plan to take my canoe down it soon. The Elk is probably the most frustrating place I've fished. The trout seem to really key in on specific sizes and colors, and it's the reason why I started tying midge flies. If you come along sometime, it might be you teaching us a thing or two .